betweenhigh cheekbones and a pair of delicate eyebrows, served to give her an ethereal, almost fragile air. Until she opened her mouth.
If Archer hadn’t been so annoyed with the way this mission was going, he might have admired her adaptability. Lord knew, she was going to need that and a whole lot more before this was over. So, apparently, was he. “I think we should return and let the queen deal with this situation. I didn’t hire on as baby-sitter.”
Talia’s mouth dropped open. Baleweg shook his head. “I do not have the energy to move us about through time on a whim. Taking our leave in such a rapid manner the other day has taxed me to a great degree. If I am to move all three of us forward, then I must conserve my strength.”
Archer narrowed his gaze in doubt. Baleweg had seemed tired, but not overly taxed. “So which is the real concern? Your supposed fatigue or Talia’s safety?”
“Both. But her safety is my foremost concern. I will be ready when she is.”
Archer held his gaze, but Baleweg merely looked at him with such serenity that Archer knew there would be no point arguing with him. Archer sighed and looked out over the pond. His gaze narrowed further at the big white duck floating placidly amid the water lilies. Oh, great, that was all he needed.
“You two can argue all you want,” Talia said, jerking his attention back to the matter at hand, “but you seem to have forgotten one key element in all your Machiavellian plans. My cooperation.” She shot Archer a look. “Which you have not come close to securing.”
“Machiavellian?” he said, for lack of a better comeback.
“I’m surprised you don’t remember him fromschool history. I’d think you’d have enjoyed his exploits.”
“I’m not sure, but I think I’ve just been insulted.” Archer turned to Baleweg, hoping to elicit a smile or at least some sign that he agreed she was being impossible. Nothing. Of course.
Baleweg merely motioned for him to continue. “You are doing such a fine job, after all.”
“Fine, just fine.” He was trapped in some archaic time period with a stubborn old man, a woman who refused to accept reality … and a duck. “I’d almost rather admit defeat now and go home,” he muttered.
Home. He craned his neck and looked past the pond toward the bizarre structure Talia called home. It was so rustic it was made from tree-hewn planks and covered with some sort of blue polymer and white trim that resembled nothing so much as frosting on a decaying cake. He doubted she had bothered setting up a decent security seal for it. How in the hell was he supposed to keep her safe in this?
He turned back to Baleweg. “We can’t stay here.”
Talia crossed her arms. “You’re damn right you can’t.”
He looked at her, resigned to the fact that they were stuck in her time, for at least the next couple of days. “I said
we
, sweetheart.” He looked to Baleweg. “We have to find a place I can defend with whatever crude arsenal I can find here. Seeing as I was left with none of my personal equipment to defend us with. My skills are well honed, but I can only do so much with my bare hands.”
He’d been quite unhappy to discover that his weapons hadn’t made the journey back in time with him. He was never without armor of some sort. He was even more unhappy at the thought of his extensive collection lying about on Baleweg’s roof.
Baleweg merely shrugged. “It is enough that we create a ripple in time by being here ourselves. We cannot risk introducing technology of our time, as well.”
Archer fought to keep from looking at Ringer, floating on the pond. Talk about a ripple. “I don’t see what one little gazzer would have hurt.”
“We can’t risk something that—”
“Excuse me,” Talia interrupted in a tone that seemed excessively loud considering he was standing right beside her. “You both seem to be overlooking something here.”
“We haven’t overlooked you, sweetheart.”
If Archer hadn’t been so annoyed with the way this mission was going, he might have admired her adaptability. Lord knew, she was going to need that and a whole lot more before this was over. So, apparently, was he. “I think we should return and let the queen deal with this situation. I didn’t hire on as baby-sitter.”
Talia’s mouth dropped open. Baleweg shook his head. “I do not have the energy to move us about through time on a whim. Taking our leave in such a rapid manner the other day has taxed me to a great degree. If I am to move all three of us forward, then I must conserve my strength.”
Archer narrowed his gaze in doubt. Baleweg had seemed tired, but not overly taxed. “So which is the real concern? Your supposed fatigue or Talia’s safety?”
“Both. But her safety is my foremost concern. I will be ready when she is.”
Archer held his gaze, but Baleweg merely looked at him with such serenity that Archer knew there would be no point arguing with him. Archer sighed and looked out over the pond. His gaze narrowed further at the big white duck floating placidly amid the water lilies. Oh, great, that was all he needed.
“You two can argue all you want,” Talia said, jerking his attention back to the matter at hand, “but you seem to have forgotten one key element in all your Machiavellian plans. My cooperation.” She shot Archer a look. “Which you have not come close to securing.”
“Machiavellian?” he said, for lack of a better comeback.
“I’m surprised you don’t remember him fromschool history. I’d think you’d have enjoyed his exploits.”
“I’m not sure, but I think I’ve just been insulted.” Archer turned to Baleweg, hoping to elicit a smile or at least some sign that he agreed she was being impossible. Nothing. Of course.
Baleweg merely motioned for him to continue. “You are doing such a fine job, after all.”
“Fine, just fine.” He was trapped in some archaic time period with a stubborn old man, a woman who refused to accept reality … and a duck. “I’d almost rather admit defeat now and go home,” he muttered.
Home. He craned his neck and looked past the pond toward the bizarre structure Talia called home. It was so rustic it was made from tree-hewn planks and covered with some sort of blue polymer and white trim that resembled nothing so much as frosting on a decaying cake. He doubted she had bothered setting up a decent security seal for it. How in the hell was he supposed to keep her safe in this?
He turned back to Baleweg. “We can’t stay here.”
Talia crossed her arms. “You’re damn right you can’t.”
He looked at her, resigned to the fact that they were stuck in her time, for at least the next couple of days. “I said
we
, sweetheart.” He looked to Baleweg. “We have to find a place I can defend with whatever crude arsenal I can find here. Seeing as I was left with none of my personal equipment to defend us with. My skills are well honed, but I can only do so much with my bare hands.”
He’d been quite unhappy to discover that his weapons hadn’t made the journey back in time with him. He was never without armor of some sort. He was even more unhappy at the thought of his extensive collection lying about on Baleweg’s roof.
Baleweg merely shrugged. “It is enough that we create a ripple in time by being here ourselves. We cannot risk introducing technology of our time, as well.”
Archer fought to keep from looking at Ringer, floating on the pond. Talk about a ripple. “I don’t see what one little gazzer would have hurt.”
“We can’t risk something that—”
“Excuse me,” Talia interrupted in a tone that seemed excessively loud considering he was standing right beside her. “You both seem to be overlooking something here.”
“We haven’t overlooked you, sweetheart.”
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